THE HISTORY OF SCOUTING IN
MIDDLEBURY, CONNECTICUT
A timeline of Scouting in Middlebury!
Middlebury has a very rich history in Scouting for nearly 80 years.
BSA Troops 5 and 6 have been a part of a scouting legacy in Middlebury since the '40s. Our records show that Troop 6 had their first Eagle rank awarded in 1952.
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In 1959 both Middlebury Troop 444 and Cub Scout Pack 6 joined the town. Pack 6 was an effort to give the younger kids in town a natural avenue to the already existing Boy Scout Troops of 5, 6 and now 444.
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Between Troops 5, 6, and 444, there have been over 125 young men who have achieved the highest rank in Scouting, and that is an Eagle Scout.
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At some point, Troop 6's charter was not renewed, but eventually came back as Troop 5 in 1978.
Then in 1998, Pack 15 Cub Scouts formed with the new Long Meadow Elementary School that served both Middlebury and Southbury. Here is where the expansion to Southbury began.
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When the BSA allowed girls to join the program in 2017, Troop 6 was formed, or resurrected so to speak, not even a year later in 2018 and established themselves as the female BSA Troop in Middlebury. With the support and tutelage of Troop 5, Troop 6 has quickly become one of the premier female troops in the entire state. Troop 6 quickly added the district's first female Eagle Scout in 2021.
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After nearly 75 years, and just recently in 2022, Troop 444 merged with Troop 5. Troop 444 will now become the "Venture Crew" for both troops 5 and 6 which allows scouters to continue on until they reach the age of 21. Venture crews have always offered scouting to both male and female participants and is a program suited for those still seeking scouting "Ventures"! Its purpose is to provide positive experiences to help youth mature and to prepare them to become responsible adults. Sea Scouting is the nautical oriented organizational option within Venturing. Hmmm will Middlebury eventually have a Sea Scouting program?
So now, Middlebury, offers its residents a complete scouting experience from first joining as a Lion Cub in Kindergarten to and through a Venturer as an official adult! It is expected to see a healthy amount of scouting interest from surrounding towns because of this.
All Scouts - whether just briefly in Cub Scouts or Boy and Girl Scouts - learn to respect and live by the Scout Oath, the Scout Law, and the pillars of the Scouting program: character development, leadership development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. These Scouts, even if they move away from Middlebury, carry these qualities with them as they grow and become part of the next generation of Scout Adult Leaders, Teachers, Doctors, Lawyers, Community Leaders and society itself,
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